Mourning Star
by springergirl07
Summary: Edward is the remaining prince of Stormhold. Bella is the star that fell. What will happen next? DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or Stardust
1. Chapter 1

Their father was dead, yet no remorse was shown until the three remaining sons had gone separate ways. One shed tears, another sniffled a tad, and the third laughed; eager to gain control of the kingdom that he had admired from afar. The power and control of the kingdom had flown on the wind, possessed by a magic that would reveal the future king. A race began under that twilight blanket; a chase that would prove life altering and deadly. Stormhold would never be the same.

Edward, one of the shortly dead King's remaining sons, refused to wait for day break to leave. He gathered his horse and ordered his personal guard to follow. Trusting his instincts, he looked to the north. To his amazement, fa shooting star seemed to fall from the sky. Calling his horse onward with a cry, he and his followers started off across the land. The wind in his face whispered to him in an alluring way, tugging at his heart in a lonely way.

Edward swore to never fall to weakness as his father had. He strongly believed that his mother had softened his powerful father, and that her death had been the king's final connection to the living realm.

* * *

Outside of the magical land of Stormhold, a young man also sets out on a mission. Michael seeks the star to prove his affections to his young love, Jessica. Before leaving, Michael has a final talk with his father.

"And you are telling me that she left me in a basket for you to find?"

"Yes. Although your mother loved you very much, she couldn't keep you. This is the basket she placed you in as a babe." The older man heaved a woven basket onto the table. Michael reached over and pulled out the contents. A note, telling him to use the black candle enclosed to bring him to her, was the most important of the objects. There was also a glass flower that Michael pinned to his shirt for safe keeping.

With a heartfelt goodbye, he left the home that had sheltered him for eighteen years. As he walked towards the wall that separated his town from the wilderness, he broke the candle in half. His objective was to use half to find his mother and the other half to find the fallen star.

The gate keeper eyed him suspiciously as Michael approached, hoping that the crumbly old man would finally just allow him to leave. But alas, after a few knocks to his head, he got the message and asked the man for a light. The gatekeeper complies.

Michael lights the candle and a bright light engulfs his body, tingling and scorching his body as he is shot off into the night sky. As the blinding light faded to nothing, the peaceful surrounding of the Wall remained unchanged; the trees on the other side of the wall gently bent from the wind that had rushed through the clearing. The gatekeeper barely bats an eye, being as old as he was; a person saw many odd things in a lifetime.

Edward' brothers also had the idea to leave soon, but not before they met their ends. Edward hired a few men to poison the two brothers. Their last thoughts before joing the ranks of their fallen brothers were, "Damn him, he will find his end somehow."

He was the rightful heir to the throne, but Edward had to find the pendant that his father had held in order to be king. He no longer felt competition, but was in a hurry. He could feel danger stirring and would rather get there sooner rather than later.

Using soothsayers, he learned of the path he had to take in order to find the pendant. North. That was always the direction; and Edward would be damned if he didn't feel an invisible force pushing him onward, towards his fate.

Michael awoke to find himself on a hill under the rising sun. He ached but found that he was otherwise in perfect, working condition. Standing and stretching a bit, he started off in the direction that, using his compass, he thought was towards the star that had fallen in the north.

Unbeknownst to him, a dark Prince of the Stormhold was approaching in the distance. A storm was brewing above the two, and the imminent meeting occurred a day later.

* * *

Hidden in a crater beside a waterfall, three witches waited in darkness. Their slowly aging bodies groaned in protest as the oldest sister called the other two from their bed.

"A star has fallen! Sisters, we must capture it and restore our youth. Quick, who shall go? We only have enough of the last star to replenish one of us." In the end, it was she, the speaker, who won the right to search for the star.

She restored her beauty, pale blond hair with strands of gold on a young body, and grabbed her glass dagger. Her only duty now was to obtain the star before others found it first. She would not be defeated.

Victoria, a now powerful witch, took her first step on her bloodthirsty quest to find the star.


	2. Chapter 2

"Boy, cease your running! I have you in my sights and you will be killed unless you stop!" Edward roared as he chased a teenager on foot through a small forest. He growled as he lost sight of his target for a moment. Adrenaline pumped and he pushed forward, hand on the dagger in his pouch.

Michael, when he had heard the approach of horses and a man dressed in black, had decided not to stick around to find out why they were following him. His mind scrambled and legs shaking, he headed into the dense cover of trees. Unfortunately, he was tackled only fifty feet into the brambles.

"Get off me, I have done nothing!" Michael covered his head and remained motionless, peeking up at his pursuer. It was the man in black. Michael's heart beat erratically when the man laughed and kicked the kneeling boy in the ribs. Crying out in pain, Michael managed to stay put, determined to not be weak.

Edward laughed again, brushing his hair from his face before yanking the boy up by the neck. "Why did you run, boy? You are lucky I have not killed you yet." He spat the words with venom, towering over Michael by a few inches; his dark demeanor also added height to his stance.

"I was journeying and when I saw you and your men, my instincts told me to run. I apologize!" Michael was barely able to keep eye contact with the dark man. He was terrified and wasn't sure why he was being attacked. The dagger that he suddenly felt on his neck only further drove his heartbeat into a frenzy.

Edward smiled cruelly and leaned closer, "Where were you journeying to? Honesty will suit you best, I can sense lies, and I have no use of liars."

Michael gulped. "I was searching for a fallen star. It landed in the north. I was merely walking there to bring it back to my home. Please let me go!" Edward released his hold on the boy.

"The you will be free to guide me there, won't you boy. Many of my men have been picked off by blasted lightening pirates. I am in need of a guide to the north. Maybe your star is also what I search."

* * *

As the two spoke grimly of their plans under an unstable truce, the star that had been spoken of so often awoke.

A pale woman, slender, and glowing slightly, visibly shook as she took in her surroundings. She lightly prodded her leg, and a sharp pain sprang through her body. She yelped and cradled it close to her body. Again, she surveyed her surroundings.

A beautiful necklace lay on a rock to her right, and an invisible string pulled her hand to reach for it. Against her better judgement, she fastened it around her neck, thinking nothing more of it. Her hair ceased to glow as another round of pain from her ankle erupted. Her eyes grew wide and watery as she viewed the morning sky. This was not her home, she shouldn't be here, what in the world had transpired?

Clouds began to cover the blue sky and she spied the slightly visible moon. The orb comforted her slightly, memories crashed through her aching head. She laid back down in the indent from her fall and fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Victoria used her seeing stones to find her path. She came across a small homestead that had a goat and a young man attending to the livestock out front. She approached and surprised the young man.

"How much is the cart?" Victoria smiled brilliantly, dazing the farm boy.

"Well, we have no use of it so you could simply borrow it. The only problem is we only have one goat. That cart there require two." Victoria's smile fell to a snarl.

"Of course, well, we can fix that easily." She pointed a finger that soon sprang forth a green light. The young man blinked and suddenly he was a goat, being harnessed to the cart. Victoria laughed as she whipped them forward at a faster pace.

"I'm coming you silly star! And I will cut out your heart!" Her cry was carried off by the wind of the approaching storm.

* * *

Off in the distance, Michael and Edward rode at a fast pace to the North. "Make one false move and I will have you killed, boy." Edward grumbled to the startled and slightly queasy boy.

Wincing as he yelled to the slightly older man, "You could call me Michael, you know." Edward laughed without smiling, a trademark of his character.

"And you could call me Death, but that would be too personal for my taste," whispered the Dark Prince to himself as he pushed his horse forward a few paces. He felt no need to introduce himself or use formalities. The fact that the urchin riding beside him did not recognize him was not of his concern and would be left in that manner.

"Boy, how much farther North must we journey before we reach the pendant, or the star, as you call it?"

"U-umm. Let's see, I thought I saw it land somewhere in the white desert, but I could be mistaken." Michael also urged his horse to match Edward' so that he could hear the man better.

"You are almost useless to me, boy. Consider yourself lucky that you are not guilty of trechery, or death would be your journey." And with a final glare at Michael, Edward goaded his horse of midnight into a gallop that his followers' horses could not match.

Edward felt the wind again, the warm air encased him like an old friend. He had no companions that he could trust and the wind, lifeless and free, was the only company that he gladly kept.


	3. Chapter 3

Victoria threw the seeing stones again and hissed with impatience. She had gotten lost and came to a giant cliff of stone. Her sisters must have laughed hysterically when they saw her angry fit of stomping around the cart. The stones told her to continue north.

The witch sighed angrily and decided against using her magic to fly above the cliff. She had no idea what was up there and would still need her cart. And if she used her magic to bring it with her, then her youthful body might lose many years to her use of magic.

Turning her chariot and goats around, she backtracked to the fork in the road that had led her to disaster. Rubbing the ring on her left hand, she heard the voices of her sisters shrieking, "Hurry up! You aren't the only one seeking the star anymore!"

Victoria yanked the reins harder. Travelling by goat, she thought to herself, was not the greatest idea she had conceived in hundreds of years. As she silently fumed, her cart reached a hill. From her spot atop the land, she could see dark shapes moving from across the plain. They were very far behind her, but seemed to be moving North at a steady pace.

Eyes narrowing, the wicked woman pushed her goats almost to the brink of death in an attempt to reach the oncoming horses.

* * *

Edward spied in the distance a cart carrying a figure that he perceived to be female. He held contempt for women and determined that he would ignore her, kill her, or give her to his men if they should cross paths. When the distance between the two groups measured to a few hundred feet, the cart stopped and aroused suspicion in Edward.

"Boy, stay back a few paces. James, pull to the front! I will bring up the rear. If anything should happen, attack without mercy." Michael, alarmed by his announcement tried to catch a glimps of the woman before Edward's horse blocked her from sight.

"I said, stay back. Do not dare to disobey me," were the eerily calm words that left the dark man's mouth. Michael could instantly tell that something had spooked the man, and that his words should be taken seriously.

Edward brushed a hand through his long hair before tying it back with a black velvet ribbon. He had hoped to disquise himself if the woman recognized him and started trouble. Soon, the parties clashed.

Victoria smiled as the first few men approached. One dismounted and introduced himself as James in a gruff manner, almost eyeing her in a distrustful manner. She was unnervingly beautiful and he didn't like the combination of her looks with her stance.

With the speed and precision of a cobra, she flicked her wrist forward and tapped his nose with a glowing finger. She felt some wrinkles forming, but they weren't too noticible to her pleasure.

James felt the control over his own body slip away. A force filled his mind, and his eyes grew foggy. Through lidded grey eyes, he watched his hand grab his sword. His rampage was bloody and unforseen. James had killed three men before the others approaching had caught on.

Edward snarled as he watched the carnage. His chief gaurd would never have conducted this on his own. Magic coursed through the air as he breathed in deeply. Gesturing for Michael to stay behind him. He unsheathed his sword and kept it close and out of sight.

Michael's eyes widened and he gulped loudly as he viewed the wickedly grinning woman as she laugh maliciously.

James plowed through the last man with absolutely no control over his own body. He could feel his own grasp on reality slipping. His soul broke free from her gasp and floated onwards, viewing the scene with sadness before joining the heavens.

Victoria felt him die through her connection and hissed. Controlling his dead body would take more power than she had wanted to expend. Just as she was about to drop her charms, a sword sliced the head from James' neck.

She felt some pain from the connection and hissing, looked up at the tall man dressed in black on the black horse with almost black eyes. She smiled again, showing almost pointed teeth.

"You will pay for disturbing my travels." She brought her hands together and let an orb of green magic build. As she sent it hurling towards the angry man's figure, a second horse flew in front of it. Without warning, the orb exploded.

Victoria was hit by some of her own magic and staggered back a few steps. "What have you done, you silly fools?" She shouted angrily. As she looked up, she saw that the two men on their horses had fled and were already out of hearing range for her startled cry.

"You will," she huffed angrily under her breath as her sister laughed through her ring, "Pay for that!"

* * *

Edward had taken the initiative to move the two under the cover of trees as rain broke from the heavens, drenching the grass in its life saving liquid. Michael was still very dazed from the short fight that had just occured and barely registered that Edward was yelling his name.

"Michael, you better make sure you pay attention to me next time. Luckily, something you did worked back there or I would be dead. You could say that your debt had been repaid."

"What do you mean repaid? What have you done for me?" Michael had not meant to be bold, he just had not been thinking. The next thing he knew, he was face down on a bush after having been pushed from his horse by a hard hand.

"I didn't kill you the second you ran. Now we are even." Edward said with a trace of respect. "Now what in bloody hell did you do back there, boy?"

Micheal frowned when the older man resumed his habit of calling him "boy". He stood and shrugged slightly, "I really have no clue. All I can recall was this pin I have heating up. Maybe it's charmed." Michael examined, with caution, the afore-mentioned flower. The thundering of rain above the trees was the only sound for many minutes. Each man was caught in his own thoughts.

Edward was thinking of how long the rain would detain him from continuing and if he still needed Michael. Perhaps he should keep the boy along for protection.

Michael was thinking how hungry he had suddenly become.

* * *

Off in the near distance, a star felt the beginning of rain and was soaked to the bone in a matter of minutes.

She had never felt rain before and its only benefit, she thought, was that in the rain, no one can tell if you are crying.


	4. Chapter 4

They rested there for a while, yet the storm persisted. The wind swelled around Edward and whispered in his ear. "We will continue onward." He walked sharply over to his dark horse, mounting quickly, and growling at Michael to move faster. "Hurry up, or I fear that the witch will catch us unaware."

And with that, Michael was sent scurrying to the saddle of his own horse, mounting with less tact than he had hoped for. Edward wasted no time; he wheeled his horse around and at the same time pulled his cloak slightly over his head. His younger companion tried to imitate him, but found that his cloak offered no protection. He followed the dark form of the horse in front of him, but due to the heavy rain, almost lost sight of it many times.

Edward pushed North against the wind. It challenged him, beckoned him forward with excitement and soon, Edward was urging the horse to go faster in a fit of childish delight. Soon, an hour had passed. The duo had travelled out of the dense forest and were making their way from the grass onto the sand. Michael was numb from cold by now and was too timid to ask Edward to go back and seek shelter.

The dark man was grinning from ear to ear. He could almost feel the pendant in his hand, as well as the kingdom for him to control. He laughed out loud with eagerness, scaring Michael in the process. "Sir?" Unsure of what to call him, because the older man had still not revealed his name, "Could we possibly get out of this storm?"

Hearing the quiet plea through the squall of rain, Edward whipped around. "You may return if you please. But I am after my prize and I won't stop until I claim it. Begone if your weakness overwhelms you." The entire statement was said with such anger that Michael dared not turn back. Michael was precariously attached to the angry un-named man, and he worried for his life if he should dabble to close to danger. They pushed on for another hour and found themselves approaching scorched terrain. Edward, who's smile had faltered a while back, grinned with renewed hope.

"If the star is a pendant, then you had better not touch it, or else wish your hand goodbye." He shouted with venom and pushed his midnight steed forward, faster than the creatures of heaven and hell.

Michael decided that, in his best interest, he would remain behind. He hoped that the star wasn't a pendant, because he doubted that the strange man would accompany Michael home to prove to Jessica that he had found the star. "Darn, there went my adventurer persona." He watched as the black horse ahead of him disappeared into a wave of rain, leaving Michael to ponder his future by himself.

* * *

The star had given up hope many hours ago. She was worn out from crying and being terrified of the stretch of land around her. Her eyelids closed on their own, to sheild her eyes from the pelting of rainwater. Her hair was wet and ratty, her clothes were muddy, and her ankle hurt more than she could have ever imagined it would. Silently, she began to cry again. Life was hopeless. She no longer had the sky as her world. She couldn't see the stars or the moon through the clouds or rain when she managed to open one eye. Sobs racked her and the rain reached a crescendo. It seemed as if the heavens mourned her loss.

She felt herself falling unconscious. As she slipped into darkness, the sound of shoes meeting gravel reached her ear. The steps echoed in her skull, and she imagined it to be a dream; a dream that would only haunt her when she awoke. Suddenly, she was pulled upwards. The wrenching of her injured ankle pulled her back into the world of the living.

A yelp was strangled from her lips and she was shifted in the rescuers arms. I'm warm, she thought, this person is warm, this person is safe. She contentedly sighed before slipping into sleep. Her hair glimmered slighting in the dissipating rain.

* * *

Michael had taken to grumbling to himself about how he hated rain. As he did this, the storm let up considerably. "Finally, maybe now I can go get some rest." He was about to turn around when he saw an approaching horse. Michael called out, "What was the star? Do I still have to go get it?" And suddenly, the blur of black passed without a word.

Michael sighed and pushed onward. He had hopes that the star would still be there, and that the dark man had been disappointed and fled. Withing minutes, he had reached the crater, and without rain clouding his eyes, he was able to make out a human shaped indent which was deserted. "I thought he only wanted the pendant. What is he up to?"

He turned the horse back, and quickly tried to catch up with the faster moving blur of midnight.

* * *

Edward was silently seething. His plan to rule the kingdom was flawed. His pendant was around the neck of some wench that was clinging to him like a second skin. He shook himself slightly, hoping she would loose her hold on him. He felt like roughly shaking her awak; he didn't even have to hold her on the horse. He reached the forest that he had rested in earlier.

"Where are you Michael?" He whispered under his breath. Edward knew he was no match for the magic of the witch and Michael posessed a charm that seemed to deflect her magic. He felt exposed, even more so because of the horrid girl that was attached to him. He managed to pull himself and the girl from his horse and under a cover of bush. He set his horse to hide in the shadows and joined the girl under the cover for a short bit of sleep.

He checked his surroundings and saw the boy approaching. Michael looked confused when he saw only the black horse, but after hearing his name being hissed from a bush. "Who is it?" He tried to keep his voice from trembling.

A very calm Edward arose from his hiding spot, startling the boy. "You will watch guard. Your charm should protect us if that witch should come along again. But do make sure to hide yourself and the horses somewhat. If you should need to call me, my name is Edward." The boy smiled, as if he had earned a present.

"Okay Edward, I can do that." He turned on his heel and pulled the two horses behind him.

Edward rolled his eyes and bent down into the small shelter that shielded the girl and himself from sight. He pulled the black velvet ribbon from his hair and decided to tie her hands together in case she awoke before he did. Edward doubted that with her bad ankle, she could get very far. He was simply cautious when it came to strangers. Michael at least had proven himself worthy by saving his life.

He pulled his cloak tighter, because there was a chill to the air. The rain had ceased and the wind hummed quietly through the trees, saying "Peace at last."


	5. Chapter 5

Edward had been sleeping uneasily. He had learned to always be on alert, because sleeping in the vicinity of the enemy showed weakness. A rustling to his right alerted him and he quickly opened his eyes. A human was right next to him. Slightly delirious from lack of sleep and adrenaline pumping, he pounced on the being; dagger pressed to its neck.

A squeal and a slap to the face brought Edward back to reality. He looked beneath him; the girl from the crater was frantically trying to push him off of her. Edward could now see, in the sunlight, that she was glaring with the forces of hell. Her eyes were brown with golden flecks, and her hair was brown with a bit of red in it. "Hold still, girl. Or the dagger will reach its mark." He warned, with icy coolness.

"Why? You will just kill me anyway, go ahead. In fact, I beg you to." As he looked, the fire in her eyes drained and water slowly built. At that moment, a strong breeze burst through their hiding spot. Both grew silent and still, as a shout was heard on the wind.

"Help Edward! No, Run for yourself!" Michael's distinct frightened voice came from the distance. Edward hissed and rolled off of the woman. She struggled to sit up, and Edward made no move to help her.

She huffed and held out her tied hands to him, "Would you be a dear and untie me?" As she spoke for the second time, Edward noticed that she spoke with a slight accent. It had a lilt to it, and his eye twitched with annoyance. Nothing like a foreign girl, he thought, to ruin my future.

"Stay here. I may return for you, and if you are smart, you will keep your mouth shut." With one last glance at the pale woman who seemed to be trying to kill him with her eyes, Edward lunged out of the bushes with sword drawn. The deeper the woods went, the darker it got. But soon, a green glow emanated from the blackness. Another cry of agony was heard and Edward slowed, walking silently and creeping behind trees. The sounds of a battle grew louder the closer he got. His boots made barely any sound as he sidestepped through the fallen leaves.

"Die! Why won't you die?" Screamed a woman, whom Edward assumed was the witch. He spied her as he crouched behind an oak. She seemed to be older, her hair had greyed and her face was wrinkled. Michael was cowering the best he could, pinned under a broken and fried tree branch. His left are was bloodied and his face was wet with tears.

Edward sprang out when the witch had turned her back to his hiding spot. Just as he was in swinging range, the crazed woman spun, her hand encased in green magic. Edward rolled away from her, but she managed to swipe his hair. He screamed with surprise as he felt his hair give way.

Victoria grinned. She let the ash of his hair drop to the ground. She laughed and readied herself for battling the man. To her surprise, he had slipped past her and was helping the boy with the charm up from under the log.

* * *

"Help! Help! Someone help! I'm being held against my will!" The girl was halfheartedly shouting in am attempt to disobey the surly copper headed man, who had so rudely pinned her beneath him that morn. She heard shuffling a few paces to the right from her dwelling. "Who is it?" She kept her voice from trembling, she really hadn't meant for anyone to hear her.

To her surprise, the dark man and the younger man appeared; bloody and torn. The were moving faster than they should have. The horses were fllowing them. "Over here! I'm right here you fools!" She loudly declared.

"Woman, help him stand. Now!" She couldn't do much, so in the end, she let him lean on her sitting form. The man was fixing up the horses and pulled the daze boy up to the saddle, helping him mount. The girl stared with amazement as the man in black partially carried the boy, while dripping blood into the leaves.

He turned back to her, and she gasped. His eyes were half lidded with pain, yet his mouth held an angry sneer, as if pain was an opponent he could defeat. "Give me your hands." She numbly obeyed and he untied her hands, slightly rubbing them before hauling her to her feet. She hissed with pain, but managed to stand. He roughly pulled her towards his horse and mounted, holding his hand out to her. She wavered between trust and hate; and decided that staying with this mysterious man was safer than wandering through the woods.

He pulled her in front of him on the saddle, his arms formed a wall as he grabbed the reins. They were off then, and the dark man kept shouting at the younger man to keep up and to stay awake or he would be killed. She eventually got up the courage to ask, "What happened?"

The man behind her straightened a bit before muttering, "The damn witch ambushed the boy, but I managed to detain her by severing her hand." She gasped and rubbed her hands together. "Who are you?" She turned slightly in the saddle and peered at him with confusion in her eyes.

He seemed confused also. His mouth opened and close, before he spoke the word, "Edward."

She smiled and rested her hand on his arm, "I'm Isabella. Thank you for being warm, or I truly might be dead by now." She managed to laugh quietly to herself by the end of the sentence, and felt him stiffen again. He truly was a strange creature, this Edward. Isabella's eyes widened, and she turned back to him with shock. "What happened to your hair?"

Edward's eyes closed and when he opened them, she noticed they were dark green and were scrunched in pain. "Will you stop squirming? We have a long journey and I'm bleeding, in case you hadn't noticed."

The star glared at his quick anger, and huffing, turned back to the front. She muttered darkly, "I was only going to say it looked better."

Edward managed to catch her mutterings and rolled his eyes. Damn women and their standards of beauty.


	6. Chapter 6

Michael was tired; not just physically, but mentally too. He groaned and ached. Over ninety percent of his body was bruised or scratched; sometimes a combination of the two.

"Edward, could we maybe drop back to my home? I have grown tired of being adventurous. The star wasn't there and I can only hope to win Jessica's affection some other way." He absentmindedly scratched his arm and winced as he drew blood.

Edward, at hearing his name being spoken, perked slightly, only to drift off into space. The makeshift pack had found an inn, run by a young mute. Isabella stiffened and busily played with her dress.

"Go bathe Michael, you'll feel better." Edward shortly replied. He was in no mood for dealing with childish complaints. Michael groaned a bit louder for emphasis and stumbled off to the tub, pulling many plush curtains behind him.

Michael closed his eyes as he slipped into the warm waters. He felt he deserved a hero's rest.

* * *

Isabella sighed, revelling in the quietness of the room and the warmth from the fire. Edward sat to across from her, staring deeply into the fire.

Isabella leaned back a bit, her shoulders resting on the cushioned bed. Suddenly, Edwards eyes snapped to her. "Girl, why do you wear the pendant of my dead father around your neck?"

Startled by how quickly he had spoken, she gasped and automatically pulled a hand up to the necklace. Within seconds, Edward had his hand atop hers, trying to pry hers away. Once he had accomplished it, the other hand lifted and gently touched the clear stone in its center.

"You, why won't it change? I'm next to ascend the throne." He whispered, his muted breath tickled her chin as he intently watched the stone.

Isabella panicked. She pushed herself backwards, only to have him react buy pulling her to him. She yelped as her ankle was wrenched.

Edward felt little remorse for her pain; all humans felt it, what mattered was not giving in to the weakness of pain. "How did you manage to come across this necklace, girl?" He darkly demanded an answer, staring straight down into her eyes.

"When I awoke, it was there. I put it on, and haven't been able to remove it." Her soft spoken answer amused Edward. Was she getting flustered by his close presence, he wondered. He pulled her a bit closer and breathed in her ear, "Will you give the necklace to me?"

His eyes widened with alarm when her hair gently pulsed with electricity and light. She struggled to pull away from him, and he let her go, but not before gently brushing her hair with his open hand. A shock ran through the connection.

Isabella ran from the room, embarrassed and angry with herself.

* * *

Victoria's sisters spoke through her ring with cackles, "You couldn't even keep you hand, you ninny! Your plan better work, we are lending you almost all of our power to help. Do not waste your chance, sister." And with that, they were gone.

Victoria sighed angrily, pushing the ring back into her pocket, the hand she had worn the ring on had been discarded back in the woods.

The evil woman started her work slowly, she could feel the power draining her youth. She lost her youthful form beneath her clothing and her hair had greyed, but she managed to keep her face slightly young.

She started grinning as she imagined what she would do to the copper headed fool who dared to cross her path and live.

* * *

Isabella steadied herself outside of the closed door of her room. "You are an ass, sir Edward," she spoke his name mockingly. "I can't give you the necklace. I already said it won't come off!"

Edward had followed her and was met by a door, slammed in his face. He growled angrily as she began yelling at him through the door. Edward's mind had caught up with him in the few seconds that she had been so close to him, so close that he could see that her hair was truly mahogany, if she ever bathed it.

"If you come out, no one will ever know what you are." He tried not to sound too threatening, but without much practice, malice tinted his statement. He heard a gasp and a click, suddenly two pale hands pulled him through the doorway.

She shook as she paced before him now. "How do you know what I am?" She spun to stare accusingly at him.

"I found you at the sight where Michael claimed the star had fallen. Your hair glows. You carry my fathers ruby." He approached her slowly as he said this, standing within a foot of her, staring down at her again.

Isabella's eyes flickered closed for a moment before she dared to open them again. He was so close to her, she could reach out and touch him. She reddened at the thought and spun, stalking farther away from him.

Edward watched her emotions with his eyes coldly calculating. "So another star has fallen. Would you have any connection to the witch that has followed us?"

With her back turned, Isabella's mouth quivered. "Don't you know why stars are so valuable to you mortals?" She clenched her hands together, wishing that she had the courage to lie to him.

"I am unaware of your value, please do go on." He seemed to purr, and she felt his eyes on the back of her head.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the man who she imagined was without a heart of his own. "When a human consumes a star's heart, immortality is granted to the consumer." Her voice had grown softer as she uttered the words that would lead to her end.

Edward grinned, maybe the girl was useful after all. "Very well then. You will remain in this room until you are given further instructions." He quickly stormed over to the trembling star.

Slowly and deliberately, he lifted a piece of hair in his hand. "Actually, my first command is to wash yourself. You aren't to be out of my sight." With her eyes as wide as saucers, the strand of hair started to glow. It was at that point, that she started to silently weep.


End file.
